Known Drug Dealer Convicted in Nightclub Shooting

Convicted felon and known drug dealer Marquail Anthony Patterson, 36, was convicted today following a five-day trial prosecuted by DA Charme Allen’s Career Gang Unit. Patterson, a native of Detroit, Michigan, was convicted of Second Degree Murder, five counts of Attempted Reckless Endangerment, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Judge Bob McGee set the case for a sentencing hearing on September 11^th to determine how long Patterson will serve in prison.

Assistant District Attorney TaKisha Fitzgerald explained to the jury that around 3:00 A.M. on the morning of June 26, 2014, Patterson fired eight rounds from a Glock .40 caliber pistol into the victim, Adarius Boatwright, on a crowded patio at Studio X, a nightclub at 1921 Cumberland Avenue. Some of those same bullets also struck four other bystanders who survived the shooting. After the shooting, Patterson fled the scene but was quickly apprehended by Knoxville Police Department officers. Upon questioning, Patterson told KPD Investigator A.J. Loeffler that he did not know anything about the shooting that occurred at Studio X. The shooting was captured on the nightclub’s video surveillance system. At trial, Patterson claimed he shot Boatwright in self-defense. After cross-examination by Fitzgerald and the State’s rebuttal proof, the jury discredited the self-defense claim and convicted Patterson.

“”Dangerous felons who have no regard for human life need to be sent to prison for as long as possible,”” said DA Allen.””My Office will argue for the harshest sentence possible to keep Patterson out of our community.””

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.